A Japanese scientist accidentally releases a giant monster in the U.S., and must save it-and Cincinnati-before a crazed nuclear physicist destroys both.A Japanese scientist accidentally releases a giant monster in the U.S., and must save it-and Cincinnati-before a crazed nuclear physicist destroys both.A Japanese scientist accidentally releases a giant monster in the U.S., and must save it-and Cincinnati-before a crazed nuclear physicist destroys both.
- Awards
- 7 wins & 3 nominations total
Christina Jenkins
- Girl
- (as Christina Steiner)
Tifani Winkfield
- Dr. Shirley Yujest
- (as Tifani Ahren Davis)
Amanda Teemley
- Pentagon Receptionist
- (as Amanda C. Teemley)
Darnell Pierre Benjamin
- Col. Reginald J. Stickler
- (as Darnell Benjamin)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
There is every reason to be put off by this but don't be.
I hate American humour. Its obvious, strained and just not funny.
This is funny. Very funny. Has its bad moments but its a total leg pull that doesn't even try to hard to be good.
Watch it
I hate American humour. Its obvious, strained and just not funny.
This is funny. Very funny. Has its bad moments but its a total leg pull that doesn't even try to hard to be good.
Watch it
I loved the movie. It had the right balance of parody and over the top acting. I was laughing all the way though it.
I'll harken back to Vincent Canby's review of Phantom of the Paradise where he points out that you can't make a parody of something that is already so ridiculous. The premise of Notzilla is nothing original, it sets to spoof the long tradition of Japanese monsters, namely Godzilla. What sets this film apart is that despite the infinite spoofs of Godzilla films in the past, their hasn't really been a full length one. (Well technically that's not true, there are films like Death Kappa and the X from Outer Space Strikes Back. In retrospect some of the films it attempts to parody are already parodies in an of themselves). Notzilla doesn't really do anything different then your average episode of MST3K does. A film like this has to tell you what to laugh at and sometimes literally spelling out the joke.
The main issue that Notzilla has is it's length. The jokes and humor becomes constantly repetitive. This is a genre that has always been mocked and derided so you really have to be inventive in developing some original jokes. And every single joke is exactly what one expects. Add to that a copious amount of flatulence humor and it runs itself a bit thin. It can fill up a short, but not necessarily a feature length film. Also there tries to be an emotional story with the Japanese scientist and the woman scientist but it the film's tone and acting works against it. It wouldn't be all bad if the film didn't focus on it since you barely get any monster action.
The effects are unfortunately more reminiscent of Full Moon projects like Zarkor or Kraa. They lack the campy artistry of the old Godzilla flicks, or even the silly creativity of the Gamera films. I'd say more miniature sets instead of the use of rear projection would be nice. It's more of a parody of what general audiences picture old Godzilla movies to be, rather than a genuine deconstruction or parody. Simply put the effects in this makes something like Godzilla vs. Megalon look like Jurassic Park (And no, it supposed to look like that is not a valid excuse, you need to actually put in some actual effort).
If one is looking for an intelligent parody that takes apart the genre and flip some tropes then this won't really satisfy. There are a few laughs to be had but the end result is overall a miss.
The main issue that Notzilla has is it's length. The jokes and humor becomes constantly repetitive. This is a genre that has always been mocked and derided so you really have to be inventive in developing some original jokes. And every single joke is exactly what one expects. Add to that a copious amount of flatulence humor and it runs itself a bit thin. It can fill up a short, but not necessarily a feature length film. Also there tries to be an emotional story with the Japanese scientist and the woman scientist but it the film's tone and acting works against it. It wouldn't be all bad if the film didn't focus on it since you barely get any monster action.
The effects are unfortunately more reminiscent of Full Moon projects like Zarkor or Kraa. They lack the campy artistry of the old Godzilla flicks, or even the silly creativity of the Gamera films. I'd say more miniature sets instead of the use of rear projection would be nice. It's more of a parody of what general audiences picture old Godzilla movies to be, rather than a genuine deconstruction or parody. Simply put the effects in this makes something like Godzilla vs. Megalon look like Jurassic Park (And no, it supposed to look like that is not a valid excuse, you need to actually put in some actual effort).
If one is looking for an intelligent parody that takes apart the genre and flip some tropes then this won't really satisfy. There are a few laughs to be had but the end result is overall a miss.
I know there will be people that will say I'm nuts for giving this 8 stars. Here's the thing, this is a fun ride!!!!! Its everything you can want from a Godzilla parody and it's a pretty self aware flick. It knows it's not a big budget block buster and it runs with it. (Although it should get an Oscar for best use of green army men in a motion picture.) Let's be honest, it's not going to be for everyone. But if you want to watch a fun flick that's actually funny and well written you can't go wrong here. Seriously check it out, grab a bowl of popcorn, have a beer, sit back and enjoy. It'll be worth it.
Go in to this film not expecting it to ever take its self seriously and some times that's just want you want watch people being silly telly a very silly story
Did you know
- TriviaThe Japanese scientist's name is a reference to Godzilla director and Akira Kurosawa's lifelong friend and collaborator, Ishiro Honda.
- GoofsIchihiro is not an actual Japanese given name but rather a surname.
- ConnectionsReferences Le Magicien d'Oz (1939)
- How long is Notzilla?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime
- 1h 18m(78 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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